𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽

Gothic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *kurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂nóm. Cognates include Crimean Gothic kor, Old English corn and Old High German korn, and Latin grānum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɔrn/

Noun

𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 • (kaurn) n

2. corn, grain (harvested seeds of the main cereal plant grown in a given region, such as wheat or barley)
   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Luke (Codex Argenteus) 3.17:

     𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌸𐌹𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍉𐌽 𐌹𐌽 𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌿 𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌹 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌲𐌰𐌷𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌴𐌹𐌸 𐌲𐌰𐌸𐍂𐌰𐍃𐌺 𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌽 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌲𐌲𐌹𐌸 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 𐌹𐌽 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐍃𐍄𐌰 𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌼𐌼𐌰, 𐌹𐌸 𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌰 𐌹𐌽𐍄𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌴𐌹𐌸 𐍆𐌿𐌽𐌹𐌽 𐌿𐌽𐍈𐌰𐍀𐌽𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌽.

     habands winþiskaurōn in handau seinai jah gahraineiþ gaþrask sein jah briggiþ kaurn in bansta seinamma, iþ ahana intandeiþ funin unƕapnandin.

     Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. (KJV).

   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Luke (Codex Argenteus) 16.7:

     𐌸𐌰𐌸𐍂𐍉𐌷 𐌸𐌰𐌽 𐌳𐌿 𐌰𐌽𐌸𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌼𐌼𐌰 𐌵𐌰𐌸: 𐌰𐌸𐌸𐌰𐌽 𐌸𐌿, 𐍈𐌰𐌽 𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌻𐍄? 𐌹𐌸 𐌹𐍃 𐌵𐌰𐌸: 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿𐌽𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿𐌽𐌳 𐌼𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌳𐌴 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽𐌹𐍃. 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌵𐌰𐌸 𐌳𐌿 𐌹𐌼𐌼𐌰: 𐌽𐌹𐌼 𐌸𐌿𐍃 𐌱𐍉𐌺𐍉𐍃 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌴𐌹 𐌰𐌷𐍄𐌰𐌿𐍄𐌴𐌷𐌿𐌽𐌳.

     þaþrōh þan du anþaramma qaþ: aþþan þu, ƕan filu skalt? iþ is qaþ: taihuntaihund mitadē kaurnis. jah qaþ du imma: nim þus bōkōs jah mēlei ahtautēhund.

     Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. (KJV).

   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Mark (Codex Argenteus) 4.28:

     𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌱𐍉 𐌰𐌿𐌺 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌰 𐌰𐌺𐍂𐌰𐌽 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌹𐌸: 𐍆𐍂𐌿𐌼𐌹𐍃𐍄 𐌲𐍂𐌰𐍃, 𐌸𐌰𐌸𐍂𐍉𐌷 𐌰𐌷𐍃, 𐌸𐌰𐌸𐍂𐍉𐌷 𐍆𐌿𐌻𐌻𐌹𐌸 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽𐌹𐍃 𐌹𐌽 𐌸𐌰𐌼𐌼𐌰 𐌰𐌷𐍃𐌰.

     silbō auk airþa akran bairiþ: frumist gras, þaþrōh ahs, þaþrōh fulliþ kaurnis in þamma ahsa.

     For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. (KJV).

Usage notes

This word translates Koine Greek σῖτος (sîtos), as does 𐍈𐌰𐌹𐍄𐌴𐌹𐍃 (ƕaiteis), which is related to various Germanic words for "wheat"; Lehmann (1986) accordingly glosses the former as "grain, wheat". 𐍈𐌰𐌹𐍄𐌴𐌹𐍃 (ƕaiteis) seems to only be used for the plant, and 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 (kaurn) only for its grains.

Reconstruction notes

The gender (masculine or neuter) and stem (a- og i-stem) is not apparent from the attested forms; most dictionaries, however, reconstruct a neuter a-stem in line with the word's Germanic cognates.

Declension

Confer also the reconstruction notes. According to Lehmann (1986), this word was likely used as a collective noun.

Neuter a-stem

	singular	plural
nominative	𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 kaurn	—
vocative	𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 kaurn	—
accusative	𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 kaurn	—
genitive	𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽𐌹𐍃 kaurnis	—
dative	𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽𐌰 kaurna	—

Related terms

• 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽𐍉 (kaurnō)

See also

• 𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌰 (ahana, “chaff”)
• 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐍃𐍄𐍃 (bansts, “barn”)
• 𐌱𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌶𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (barizeins, “made of barley”)
• 𐌲𐌰𐌸𐍂𐌰𐍃𐌺 (gaþrask, “threshing-floor”)
• 𐍈𐌰𐌹𐍄𐌴𐌹𐍃 (ƕaiteis, “wheat”)
• 𐌼𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌽 (malan, “to grind”)

References

• Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986) “K15. kaurn”, in A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the 3rd ed. of Feist’s dictionary, Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 216–217

Further reading

• Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910). Die gotische Bibel. Zweiter Teil: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, p. 74